Rico Brogna and the Long Sunset: Mets in Retirement, 2012

[Edgy MD]

Last year's thread can be found here. Eventually, when like it's subjects, it drifts into retirement, it'll be archived among threads started in January 2011.

We open this year with a Wall Street Journal examination of how Mike Piazza pees better than you drink.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Lettie is so wasted by the end of the article she accidentally gives him Oral.

I'd read Piazza's book.

[Edgy MD]

And in the manner of retired veterans of all kinds, he lamented the way the game had changed. "You don't have the veteran middle on the bench like you used to�teams today have really eliminated bench-type players. As a rookie I was lucky to be catching a veteran staff�I had Oral Hershiser, Jim Gott, who pitched for Philadelphia. Jim was really animated�I loved catching for that guy."

Can anybody explain who or what he is talking about here? Is he decrying the lack of Lenny Harris on a big league roster?

If anything has hurt major league benches, it's the DH first and bullpen creep second.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I think the wine writer is over her head interpreting jock speak here (and drunk as well, probably)

[Ceetar]

at the All-Star game next year, instead of Seaver throwing a pitch to Piazza, they're going to get together and stomp grapes between the mound and the plate.

[G-Fafif]

Former colleague of mine scooped WSJ by ten years on the Piazza-wine beat.

The writer (a hardcore Orioles fan who joined me at Shea on a couple of occasions in the late 1990s) left beverages, et al to pursue baseball dreams several years ago. He's now Director, Major League Scouting/Assistant to GM for your N.L. West champion Arizona Diamondbacks.

Moral to the story: It may not help to share a bottle of wine with Mike Piazza, but it couldn't hurt.

[Lefty Specialist]

Actually saw Mike on the street last month, walking down Broadway not far from my office. He was alone, no posse. I'd already passed him when it registered ('Holy Sh*t, that's Mike Piazza!'). Thought about turning around and saying something but I figured his days are full of middle-aged fanboys like me gushing over him like giddy schoolgirls. So I walked on.

[Ceetar]

Lefty Specialist wrote: Actually saw Mike on the street last month, walking down Broadway not far from my office. He was alone, no posse. I'd already passed him when it registered ('Holy Sh*t, that's Mike Piazza!'). Thought about turning around and saying something but I figured his days are full of middle-aged fanboys like me gushing over him like giddy schoolgirls. So I walked on.

i would've turned around and stalked him, at least reported back on where he ate lunch or something. ;-)

[G-Fafif]

Ceetar wrote: i would've turned around and stalked him, at least reported back on where he ate lunch or something.

I liked when he would feast on Roger Clemens.

[Lefty Specialist]

I've always felt that people deserve their privacy. And I'm a lousy stalker anyway. I like it when someone famous can walk around like a normal person, which is something you can do better in New York than just about anywhere else. (I imagine Mike likes it, too.)

[Ceetar]

Lefty Specialist wrote: I've always felt that people deserve their privacy. And I'm a lousy stalker anyway. I like it when someone famous can walk around like a normal person, which is something you can do better in New York than just about anywhere else. (I imagine Mike likes it, too.)

they still have their privacy if they don't know you're stalking them!

SNY should televise a new show for non-gametime. sneak a tracking device on Piazza or some ex-met and provide Jack Bauer like updates. "Piazza's checking out at Two Boots now! He's bought a chicken pizza and it's HOT! He's on the move!"

[Edgy MD]

I'd have realized that was actually Piazza about two weeks after passing him on the street.

[Ceetar]

Edgy DC wrote: I'd have realized that was actually Piazza about two weeks after passing him on the street.

This is why I got married. We must've spotted 2 dozen baseball players in Spring Training last year and pretty much all of them were spotted by my wife whispering to me "hey, isn't that a player?", or in one case asking one where he got that nifty Mr Met Leprauchaun hat.

[Edgy MD]

Chooch.

[G-Fafif]

Yay, Choo Choo! (Despite inadvertent douche chills unleashed by use of Carlos Ruiz's nickname above.) He always seemed mysterious and almost foreboding to me in that there were these anecdotes from the attic and never anything about what happened later. Glad to find out he is, per Vecsey, "sweet and as decent as ever."

A little more Colemania from the diligent Nick Diunte at examiner.com.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

wow, great. Pepper steak and rice.

[G-Fafif]

Now matter how laconic Choo Choo Coleman was portrayed, he had to make for an interesting listen than Ed Coleman.

[Edgy MD]

It must be a real Woodstock moment for the Met Hunters of the world to see Choo Choo doing his first ever card shows. (That's two more than I've ever been to.)

The pickoff anecdote holds up.

[Met Hunter]

I hear what you're saying. Through the years my wife has occasionally given me a hard time, but I always keep it in check. That being said, bringing Clarence back to New York. Seeing the smiles on everyones faces, from young and old fans, to Met personnel and former players and HOFers. Giving him a sense of respect he hasnt realized in decades has made it all worth it for me. He appreciated the scratch too.

[Edgy MD]

So, am I correctly understanding that you are Lou C.?

[Met Hunter]

In the flesh. Happy to serve the Met community whether they just root or root and collect.

[Edgy MD]

Well played, Huntsman.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Met Hunter wrote: In the flesh. Happy to serve the Met community whether they just root or root and collect.

Kablam!

[metirish]

Very cool Met Hunter, great for Choo Choo , love this

Last week, Coleman flew into New York � his first plane ride in 35 years. �They used to shake more,� he said, recalling the DC-6B propeller planes the Mets used to charter. When he checked into a hotel, he had never seen a magnetic room card.

[G-Fafif]

Met Hunter wrote: In the flesh. Happy to serve the Met community whether they just root or root and collect.

Out-frigging-standing.

Now that you've brought Choo Choo into the spotlight, who moves up to most wanted Met recluse?

[Benjamin Grimm]

Fred Wilpon's wallet?

[Met Hunter]

I think after Choo Choo there really arent that many well known out of the spotlight Mets. The true recluses are guys like Brock Pemberton or Bob Rauch. But like the guy in Shawshank sort of said "I don't think they'll put up much of fuss for an old Met like that."

When I checked Clarence in on Friday night, I had to literally show him how to use a key card in his hotel room door. Saw him last night and he told me he's doing pretty good with the key. (They've had him at three different hotels). He's got a perpetual smile.

Last night was cool too. He came down to the hotel lobby and sat around shooting the shit with Ralph Kiner, Orlando Cepeda, Bernard Gilkey and Randy Myers. Quite a sight.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I would have LOVED it if Ralph had asked Choo Choo about how he got his nickname. Or about his wife's name and what she's like.

[Edgy MD]

That's nine degrees of awesome.

I think of Dave Schneck as elusive. I also always figured a Met that would make himself scarce would be Mac Scarce.

[G-Fafif]

Met Hunter wrote: I think after Choo Choo there really arent that many well known out of the spotlight Mets. The true recluses are guys like Brock Pemberton or Bob Rauch. But like the guy in Shawshank sort of said "I don't think they'll put up much of fuss for an old Met like that." When I checked Clarence in on Friday night, I had to literally show him how to use a key card in his hotel room door. Saw him last night and he told me he's doing pretty good with the key. (They've had him at three different hotels). He's got a perpetual smile. Last night was cool too. He came down to the hotel lobby and sat around shooting the shit with Ralph Kiner, Orlando Cepeda, Bernard Gilkey and Randy Myers. Quite a sight.

I could roll around in those three paragraphs for the next three days.